Udupi: Gambler student robs home

Bangalore Mirror

Udupi, 15 May 2011: A city-based engineering college student was arrested by police after he was found to have robbed his own house to pay for losses he had suffered in betting on Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. According to the police, A Thantry, a sixth semester student of a leading engineering college in the city, confessed to stealing gold ornaments worth Rs 7 lakh from his house in Udupi in order to pay for his gambling addiction.

 

Thantry’s parents, unaware that their son was the culprit, had filed a complaint with the Udupi Town police station after they discovered that jewellery and ornaments had been stolen from their home. The parents were in a state of shock when the police named their son as the prime suspect in the case.

 

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, S V Girish, inspector of Udupi Town police station said, “Sarvothama, Thantry’s father, had filed a complaint on Wednesday after they found that ornaments, which they had kept locked in a cupboard, missing. In their complaint they had asked us to investigate and nab the thieves. On investigating, we found no evidence of a break-in. There was no damage to the doors, windows or any of the locks. Even the roof of the house was intact. We immediately suspected an inside job. Five people stayed in the house, including Thantry. On questioning, he confessed.”

 

According to the police, Thantry was present in the house when they made their inspection of the premises. He acted normally and even his own parents did not suspect him. But he cracked when police began to question him.

 

The accused is believed to have told police that he was influenced by his friends and that they had lured him into betting in IPL matches.

 

Girish said: “He told us that his friends are constantly involved in betting. Although he lost a lot of money, his friends kept pushing him to continue betting. Eventually he ran out of money and so he resorted to looting his own house.” Police have filed a case against him under section 380 of the Indian Penal Code.

 

Betting on sport adds to the thrill of watching games, but police say an increasing number of youngsters were getting into betting on IPL matches because of the unique format of the tournament and the adrenaline rush associated with it. What starts as a casual indulgence soon turns into an addiction.

 

“Thantry is addicted to betting. We believe that he had lost thousands of rupees in betting and was also in contact with bookies. We have gathered a few names of others who are also involved in betting. But it’s high time educational institutions began counselling their wards on the ill effects of betting. Parents too should start monitoring their children, especially the cricket-crazy ones,” Girish said.

 

Thantry was presented before a court in Udupi and is now out on bail.